Linelight

81%
Game Brain Score Based on 401 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Linelight Game Cover
Even if you don’t play puzzle games, Linelight is a shining beacon in dark times.
Starting at $3.05Buy now
Get on Steam

"Linelight" is a single-player open-world puzzle-adventure game with compelling graphics, music, and atmosphere. It offers intuitive and unique gameplay that is accessible to all skill levels, challenging players to guide Dash through a series of rich, clean, minimalist levels with a one-of-a-kind solution. The game's soothing experience simulates the feeling of accomplishment and relaxation, providing a mind-bending and enjoyable adventure.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Virtual Reality
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Oculus Quest
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

81%
Audience ScoreBased on 401 reviews
music108 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • Linelight features beautifully designed puzzles that introduce new mechanics at a steady pace, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.
  • The game has a soothing soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, creating a relaxing atmosphere while solving puzzles.
  • Despite its minimalist design, Linelight manages to evoke strong emotions, making players feel attached to the characters represented by simple lines.
  • Some puzzles rely heavily on timing and quick reflexes, which can be frustrating for players who prefer more cerebral challenges.
  • There are occasional bugs that can softlock the game or cause issues with puzzle progression, detracting from the overall experience.
  • The game may feel too short for some players, as it can be completed in a few hours, leading to a desire for more content.
  • music177 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and soothing qualities, with many reviewers noting that each world features a unique soundtrack that enhances the overall experience without becoming repetitive. The dynamic and ambient sound design complements the gameplay, often syncing with puzzle movements, creating an engaging atmosphere that evokes emotional responses. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, elevating the game's minimalist aesthetic and puzzle mechanics.

    • “The soundtrack is fantastic, and I loved listening to it, which is not something I usually have praise for, but this was above and beyond.”
    • “The music is so soothing and the puzzles are challenging enough that it's so satisfying when you solve them!”
    • “The music and visuals are kept clean; they suit the game perfectly and are never understated or over the top.”
    • “It's basic ambient puzzle game music with some crescendos during stage endings, but no one is going to be listening to the Linelight OST when they're done with their playthrough.”
    • “The music is a bit off; I would expect something more ambient.”
    • “Otherwise, it is just shiny colors and a minimalistic soundtrack, no challenge, no depth, annoying sounds.”
  • gameplay170 mentions

    The gameplay in Linelight is characterized by its clever and minimalist design, where players control a line navigating through various levels that introduce new mechanics at a steady pace. Each world presents unique challenges, combining simple mechanics in innovative ways to create engaging puzzles that range from easy to complex, all while maintaining a relaxing atmosphere enhanced by a fitting soundtrack. The game excels in teaching mechanics intuitively without overwhelming players, making it a delightful experience for puzzle enthusiasts.

    • “The levels are all designed really well, new mechanics are introduced at a steady pace, as well as a bunch of secret extra levels and collectibles.”
    • “Each world introduces a new puzzle mechanic, and the way the levels flow in difficulty and beauty creates such an incredible experience.”
    • “The puzzles introduce new mechanics and methods of solving them at a perfect pace that I never felt unequipped or overwhelmed.”
    • “It does not explore the depth of its mechanics.”
    • “There's a bit of an overreliance on timing puzzles and fiddly mechanics in later levels, some 'hidden' puzzles are annoying to find, and there's not a lot of payoff to anything you do besides just unlocking more puzzles.”
    • “The first 5 worlds felt pretty easy, though I still mildly enjoyed myself, and I was hoping to breeze through world 6 so that I can leave a positive review, but world 6 introduced a mechanic that led to a huge difficulty spike!”
  • graphics58 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist aesthetic that is both beautiful and effective, enhancing the overall experience without overwhelming the player. While some users noted minor technical issues, the clean visuals and vibrant colors contribute to a relaxing atmosphere that complements the engaging puzzle gameplay. Overall, the combination of simple yet captivating graphics and a fitting soundtrack creates a delightful and immersive experience.

    • “The visuals are nice and the puzzles are just complex enough to be relaxing but keep your attention.”
    • “Every aspect of this game is phenomenal; the sound design and music are both incredibly satisfying and pleasant to listen to, the controls are beautifully simple and responsive, the game's visuals strike a perfect balance between minimalist and stunning, and the puzzles themselves are at the perfect level of difficulty.”
    • “The music and visuals are kept clean, they suit the game perfectly and are never understated or over the top.”
    • “I don't understand why on the highest graphics settings, lowest gamma, the glare edges are still visible and ruin everything.”
    • “There's something to be said for the visual clarity that the minimalist aesthetic gives you, but even with those constraints, I felt like the game could do so much more to spruce things up.”
    • “Terrible graphics though, because it's just likes.”
  • emotional40 mentions

    Players have expressed surprise at the emotional depth of this minimalist puzzle game, where simple colored lines evoke strong feelings of companionship and farewell. The combination of touching music, clean visuals, and a heartfelt narrative allows players to form unexpected emotional connections, leading to moments of genuine sadness and reflection, particularly during the poignant ending. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to create a profound emotional experience despite its simplistic premise.

    • “What started out as a minimalistic puzzle game, ended up being an emotional journey of companionship.”
    • “Linelight has somehow made me shed a few tears for a 1-dimensional line segment, because through musical and visual cues I've been convinced that I've now formed an emotional bond with the things that have repeatedly tried to kill me throughout my travels in this game, and I'm sad to see them go when our paths inevitably diverge.”
    • “It's amazing how something simple can be so interesting - and ultimately so heartfelt.”
  • story34 mentions

    The game features a minimalist and abstract storytelling approach that evokes themes of friendship, freedom, and emotional connection, despite lacking traditional narrative elements like dialogue. Players appreciate how the game conveys a touching story through simple mechanics and visuals, creating a heartwarming experience that resonates deeply. Overall, the narrative is described as surprisingly emotive, transforming the gameplay into an interactive journey rather than just a series of puzzles.

    • “The game manages to have a small story (at least in my head) of friendship and freedom.”
    • “There's a simplistic beauty in how this game tells its minimalist story.”
    • “Through the use of a great soundtrack and pure game mechanics, Linelight somehow manages to evoke a melancholy story about conflict, friendship, loss, and finding purpose.”
    • “There's no dialog and no 'story', but the game at a point in the 6 stages turns into a sort of race where you move in parallel with another colored line whose behavior is established in the previous half of the level.”
    • “If you like 'Thomas Was Alone', this has a similar vibe to that, but without a story (though it feels complete without one).”
    • “This is a very good and incredibly well-designed puzzle game with some amazing aesthetics, but I think I'll always remember it as the game that unseated 'Thomas Was Alone' as the game that got me to cry using the simplest shapes and story.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its simple yet elegant design, enhanced by a beautiful and immersive soundtrack that perfectly complements the gameplay. Reviewers highlight the calming and dreamlike quality of the music and visuals, creating a comforting environment that encourages exploration and emotional engagement. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as a key element that elevates the puzzle experience, making it both relaxing and stimulating.

    • “The soundtrack is best described as 'deserving its own separate review' and suits the atmosphere that the game creates perfectly.”
    • “By tying together some gameplay elements and the music, the result is a great atmosphere throughout the entire game.”
    • “The presentation is gorgeous with the added bloom and particle effects really adding to the atmosphere and the layered soundtrack is really good and adds a dreamlike gentle blanket over the experience.”
    • “The presentation is gorgeous, with the added bloom and particle effects really enhancing the atmosphere. The layered soundtrack is excellent and adds a dreamlike, gentle blanket over the experience.”
    • “For such a simple, conservative concept of a game to turn out to be one of the most comforting, stimulating, gratifying, and even heartfelt puzzle games I've ever played is a testament to the kind of difference just the right atmosphere and design can make.”
    • “The calming atmosphere created by the individually crafted music tracks for each level is one of the most wonderful I've ever experienced in a video game.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both hilarious and clever, particularly in the way it integrates funny lines and witty riddles into its puzzle-solving mechanics.

    • “He's hilarious!”
    • “Linelight is based on a simple puzzle game principle put into smart and funny riddles that you need to solve.”
    • “And some funny lines on a screen.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    The game offers high replayability, particularly through the potential for creative storytelling and bonus levels, though some players note that the lack of unique levels and challenging puzzles may limit the overall replay value.

    • “This game has high replayability, and with a little imagination, you can create your own storyline to go with it.”
    • “Seriously, I liked the game, and there are bonus levels, along with high replayability.”
    • “The game offers a lot of opportunities for replayability, allowing players to explore different strategies and outcomes.”
    • “There aren't user-designed levels, so replay value amounts to revisiting the same levels.”
    • “Other commenters have described how the puzzles aren't the most challenging in the world, and there's not a ton of replayability.”
  • stability3 mentions

    Overall, the game demonstrates good stability, even on lower-end hardware, with users reporting smooth performance. However, some players have experienced occasional bugs in certain levels and minor graphical issues, such as screen tearing and visible color gradient artifacts on macOS.

    • “I've played it on a weak laptop with a 128MB video chipset, and it runs great.”
    • “The game maintains a steady frame rate even during intense action sequences.”
    • “I've experienced no crashes or bugs, making for a smooth gaming experience.”
    • “Encountering some buggy levels.”
    • “One minor gripe is that on macOS, at least with my configuration, there were some screen tearing glitches, and some of the lighting effects could use some dithering to reduce visible 'rings' where the color gradient changes.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding in the game to be a mixed experience; while it offers a balance of fun and cleverness, some sections, particularly in the later worlds, can become tedious due to repetitive mechanics. Overall, the grinding is manageable but may require significant time investment.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Just enough balance between fun and clever without tedious repeats of the same idea just to stretch things out.”
    • “I have now completed the game, and the last world (World 6) and the +A and +B were the only worlds where a few of the puzzles became a bit tedious to solve due to a mechanic introduced.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

Buy Linelight

Play time

10hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
6-11hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games